Living in Chaotic and Violent Times, Pt 1

As the Ukraine/Russia conflict rages on; as a teenager, radicalized by white supremacist propaganda, kills 10 African Americans in a grocery store; as sexual abuse and a criminal cover-up rocks the SBC; as abortion is deceptively promoted as a woman's right to "healthcare"; as another, horrific and senseless mass shooting occurs at a Texas grade school--I, like many others, find myself asking questions that have long been asked in similar times of chaos and violence: "How long, O Lord, will this wickedness last? Destruction and violence are everywhere; strife and conflict abound. Don't you see and care? Aren't you going to intervene? And what do you expect me to do about it?"

So, for the last couple of days, I have been seriously pouring over and pondering what Habakkuk, Peter, and Paul have to say to God's people about living in such times. When you read their respective writings, they either lived in such times or foresaw their coming in the future, and so gave counsel and instruction to their readers as how to persevere through these difficult times. And as a result of this study, I wish to share some guiding principles each biblical writer offers that I think will help us cope with and navigate our own situation.

Living by "the Faith" That Is "Faithfulness" 

The first life principle, given to us in Habakkuk 2:4, is found throughout the Bible, and is illustrated in various ways in the lives of people such as Abraham, Sarah, Ruth, and David. And it is best known in the form that Paul presents to his readers in his Letter to the Romans, "The righteous shall live by faith." (Rom. 1:17) However, in the actual prophecy given by Habakkuk, as rendered by the NIV, the text says, "The righteous person will live by his faithfulness" (Hab. 2:4) So what do these writers mean by "the faith" which is also "faithfulness"? That is the truth unfolded in this short OT book that provided a moral compass for God's people in chaotic and dangerous times, a moral compass that is as relevant to our situation as it was to Habakkuk's time.

Living in Faithfulness Is Not an Avoidance of Harsh Realities 

 As you read through the prophecy of Habakkuk, he first honestly but humbly approaches God. Then Habakkuk confronts Him with his fears, doubts, and questions, confident the Lord will respond (Hab. 1:2-3). We see from this response of the prophet that faithfulness to God involves, at different times and places, our honestly facing harsh realities we would rather avoid and at the same time be open with him about our own fears, doubts, and questions. And because we are his people, we too can be confident of a response from God. Yet the Lord doesn't respond immediately to Habakkuk's anguished cry. 

Such is their relationship that, when the Lord thinks the prophet can handle it, he tells him that he is going to intervene and set things right. But he is going to do so in such a way and such a manner that is totally unexpected: He will use the Babylonians as the instrument of His chastising and correcting Judah. Stunned, Habakkuk responds, "What!? Lord, considering who you are, how can you do this? And considering who the Babylonians are and what they've done, are you not going to punish them for their wickedness and violence?" 

Though expecting a rebuke for this second complaint, Habakuk is still confident in God's sovereignty, goodness, and faithfulness to his covenant with Israel, and so waits for the Lord's response. In the same way as we find ourselves searching the Scriptures, wrestling with God in prayer not only about our current crisis and what we should do about it, we must be confident that God is still sovereign, is still good, and will fulfill all the promises of the new covenant he has made with us in Christ Jesus. But we may be surprised that not only is God at work in the present, but also as to how he will intervene and set things right. As the old hymn says, "God moves in a mysterious way his wonders to perform."  

Living in Faithfulness Requires Patience and Enduring Commitment 

So, does he get an answer to his second question? Indeed, the Lord does give him an answer: "Yes, in due time, in fulfilment of my prophetic word, I will raise up those who will overthrow proud and crooked Babylon and thus end its reign of tyranny. But until then, the righteous person will live by his faithfulness. And the day is coming when the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea" (Hab. 2:2-10). The clause translated from the Hebrew as "the righteous person will live by his faithfulness" helps us see that true faith is not only trust and reliance in an eternal, unchanging God who is mighty to save, just and fair in all His dealings with us, and who keeps his promises--but also, in addition to this, true faith in God also involves our commitment, fidelity, and obedience to this God and His revealed will for us, regardless of the circumstances. And yet you might wonder how this is possible for Habakkuk, or anyone, to answer this call to faithfulness?

The Focus of a Life of Faithfulness: Our God, the Everlasting Rock

Even though God is calling us, like Habakkuk, to persevere in a life of trust, commitment, and obedience in chaotic and difficult times, He gives us his assurance that judgment will come upon those who oppose Him and mistreat His people; that even if we can't always see it, He is, as our Shepherd, with us in what appears to be our darkest valley, both protecting and sustaining us (cf. Hab. 2:2-3 with Ps. 23:4; John 10:14-15, 27-30); that as our "Rock" and "Fortress" (cf. Hab. 1:4 with 2 Sam. 22:1-3; Ps. 18:2), we will find that we truly have security and safety in Him, and that nothing can get close to us without passing through Him; and unlike human rulers who are like a mist and whose plans come to naught (cf. Ps. 146:3-4), our Mighty God is eternal and lives forever--so He is able to keep his promises and deliver us out of the most difficult situations (cf. Hab. 1:12 and 2:20 with Ps. 9:7-8; Ps. 145:13-20). And then there is the sure hope of Christ's Return, and the creation of a new heaven and earth, in which we will dwell with our God in unbroken fellowship and joy (cf. Hab. 2:13-14 with 2 Pet. 3:13). This is the moral compass that will enable us to cope with and navigate the stormy seas of life through which we are now sailing.

Conclusion 

So then, like Habakkuk, even though things may remain chaotic and difficult, our confidence is in the LORD, our Rock, Strength and Savior, and we will "patiently wait" for Him to keep his promises to come and set things right (cf. Hab. 3:10-19). However, as we will see in Part Two, this "patient waiting" is active, not passive in nature, according to the Apostle Paul: It is actively living out the Gospel of Christ.